65-year-old journalist and once promising novelist Jep Gambardella spends his days in a whirl of parties in Rome's high society. When he learns of the tragic death of a woman he loved in his youth, he finds himself haunted by past regrets and becomes determined to discover and experience what he describes as life's great beauty. The latest film from Italian maestro Paolo Sorrentino, he of The Consequences of Love, Il Divo and This Must Be the Place, is a joyous celebration of humanity and the fleeting nature of mortality, boasting a wonderful central performance from Sorrentino's regular collaborator Toni Servillo.

Tuesday 14th January at 8 p.m.

Cutie and the BoxerUSA 2013 | 82 mins | 12A

In the 1960s, Japanese pop artist Ushio Shinohara travelled to New York for inspiration, where he met and married young fellow ex-patriot and art student Noriko. Now in his eighties and struggling to make ends meet, Ushio shows no signs of slowing down, while Noriko uses her own art to explore her relationship with her chauvinistic husband. The bond between the pair and their sometimes troubled history are the focus of Zachary Heinzerling's captivating documentary, a refreshingly honest and perceptive portrait of the artist and the tireless support provided by his long-suffering partner.

Tuesday 21st January at 8pm

GloriaChile / Spain 2013 | 110 mins | 15

Lonely 58-year-old divorcee Gloria spends her evenings in a Santiago singles bar where she drinks, dances and intermittently flirts with her fellow patrons. Then one day she meets and falls for ex-naval officer and fellow divorcee Rudolfo. A long-term relationship beckons, but is placed in jeopardy by the more recently separated Rudolfo's reluctance to put his past life behind him. Chilean actress Paulina García shines as Gloria in Sebastián Lelio's beautifully observed tale of late flowering romance. Set against a background of social change, it's a film that both touches the heart and rewards the intellect.

Tuesday 28th January at 8pm

Metro ManilaUK / Philippines 2013 | 115 mins | 15

When the price of rice drops to an all-time low, impoverished farmer Oscar takes his family to the city in the hope of finding work, but they quickly become prey for a string of streetwise scammers. Their luck seems to turn when Oscar lands a job as a security guard, but when he and his fatherly new partner Ong discover a box of drug money, Oscar finds himself torn between his principles and his financial needs. Shot in the Philippines in the Tagalog language, Metro Manila is a tightly written and involving drama that evolves into a tense crime thriller, and is the most accomplished feature yet from British director Sean Ellis.

Tuesday 4th Februaryat 8pm

The Broken Circle BreakdownBelgium / Netherlands 2012 | 111 mins | 15

Drawn together by their mutual love of bluegrass music, tattoo artist Elise and musician Didier begin a passionate relationship that hits its first wall when Elise becomes pregnant. Initially hestitant, Didier then begins work on the restoration of an old house to provide a home for his family. But when new daughter Maybelle is diagnosed with cancer, her parents respond to the news in different ways. One of the most emotionally affecting films in recent years, The Broken Circle Breakdown shines in its honesty and two compelling central performances from Veerle Baetens and Johan Heldenbergh, plus a superb soundtrack of toe-tappingly infectious bluegrass tunes.

Tuesday 11th February at 8pm

The Selfish GiantUK 2013 | 91 mins | 15

When 13-year-old Arbor and Swifty are expelled from school, they find work collecting iron and copper for intimidating scrap metal dealer Kitten, the "Selfish Giant" of the title. While Arbor is only interested in making money, Swifty becomes attached to one of Kitten's road-racing horses, and their differing priorities begin to drive a wedge between the two once close friends. The latest film from The Arbor director Clio Barnard is an unflinchingly honest but consistently gripping portrait of young working-class life, and features a superb performance from young newcomer Conner Chapman as the hyperactive Arbor.

Tuesday 18th February at 8pm

Muscle ShoalsUSA 2013 | 111 mins | PG

Music fans will recognise the name Muscle Shoals as that of a legendary studio at which legendary acts such as Lynyrd Skynrd, Percy Sledge, Etta James and Aretha Franklin created some of the most memorable hits of the 60s and 70s. This fruitful period of American music history is the basis for Greg Camalier's fascinating and admirably comprehensive documentary portrait of the studio's heyday. Interviewees include Steve Winwood, Alicia Keys, Bono, Keith Richards and FAME studio founder Rick Hall, but as you would expect, it's the often sublime music that really does the talking.

Tuesday 25th February at 8pm

Nothing But a ManUSA 1964 | 95 mins | 12

Life is hard and lonely for itinerant railroad worker Duff, but this looks set to change when he meets schoolteacher and preacher's daughter Josie. Despite the objections of Josie's parents, who believe their educated daughter is too good for the likes of Duff, the two begin dating, but can Duff overcome his feelings of inadequacy and embrace his new happiness? Apparently the favourite film of famed activist Malcolm X, the 1964 Nothing But a Man was for many years unavailable in the UK and is now being championed as a rediscovered classic, one of the first and best films about the African-American experience in America.

Tuesday 4th March at 8pm

Child's Pose [Pozitia copilului]Romania 2012 | 112 mins | 15

When the elegant and well-connected Cornelia tries to re-establish contact with her estranged son Barbu, he resists her attempts to build a bond between them. But when Barbu is found at the wheel of a car involved in a fatal collision, a darker side of Cornelia's maternal instincts are awakened. Winner of the Golden Bear at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, Child's Pose is both a touching exploration of the sometimes suffocating effects of maternal love, and sly look at the corruption and influence to be found in contemporary upper-class Romanian society.

After 15-year-old Adèle breaks up with her boyfriend, she meets and falls head-over-heels for blue-haired art student Emma, and the two embark on a passionate love affair. But as their relationship intensifies, their differing aspirations look set to put them on an emotional collision course. The 2013 winner of the Palme D'Or at Cannes, Blue is the Warmest Colour has been widely discussed for its explicit sexual content, but has also attracted enthusiastic praise for its honest depiction of a loving relationship, and for the two superb central performances from Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos.

Two sets of parents from different social classes are belatedly informed of a hospital mix-up six years earlier, and told that each was mistakenly given the other's child. Both families are faced with a difficult dilemma and forced to consider whether the ties of blood are more important than the love they have developed for their respective young charges. The latest film from Still Walking and I Wish director Hirakazu Koreeda uses this intriguing premise to explore issues of class, social values and the bonds of family with touching wit and warmth.

Tuesday 25th March at 8pm

KumaAustria 2012 | 93 mins | 12A

The wedding of teenage Turkish village girl Ayse to the Austrian Hasan is not all it seems, and Ayse soon finds herself transported to Vienna to become the second wife of Hasan's Turkish father Mustafa. Although welcomed by Mustafa's ailing first wife, she is not so warmly greeted by the children to whom she is now expected to become a mother. A strong and sometimes powerful debut feature from Kurdish-Austrian director Umut Dag, with fine performances from Nihal G. Koldas as the dying matriarch and Begüm Akkaya as her young replacement.

Tuesday 1st April at 8pm

Good VibrationsUK / Ireland 2012 | 103 mins | 15

In conflict-torn mid-1970s Belfast, pub DJ Terri Hooley sees his glum life pick up when he and his new beau Ruth open a record shop named Good Vibrations. But it's Hooley's discoveries of two local punk bands named The Outcasts and The Undertones that really sets his life in a new direction. This lively biopic of the man who became known as the godfather of Belfast punk is a passionate, nostalgic and warmly funny journey through a key period in Northern Irish modern musical history, and boasts a hugely enjoyable central performance from former bit-part actor Richard Dormer as Hooley.